In two separate attacks, gunmen, on Tuesday night and in the wee hours of Wednesday, killed two vigilante members guarding Isiala Mbano Local Government Area headquarters, and a policeman after setting ablaze the Obowo Police Station in Imo State.
PUNCH Metro gathered on Wednesday that the gunmen also burnt some vehicles parked at the council premises.
Our correspondent gathered from an eyewitness who spoke on the condition of anonymity that the “gunmen stormed the secretariat around 8:30 pm on Tuesday and shot sporadically, killing two vigilante members on duty and setting part of the council building on fire.”
Confirming the incident, another eyewitness who spoke to PUNCH Metro said, “Two security men at the Isiala Mbano council headquarters have been shot dead. The gunmen also set ablaze a larger portion of the council building and several vehicles parked on the premises. Many others escaped with various degrees of injuries.”
“There was palpable fear in Umuelemai, the Isiala Mbano LGA headquarters, because people ran away to neighbouring villages for fear of being killed.”
In the early Wednesday attack, the gunmen razed the Obowo Police Station and killed an unnamed police officer by the NEPA Junction, Umulogho, Obowo Local Government Area.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the gunmen dragged the police officer out of his residence and killed him with a machete, subsequently cutting his throat and wrist.
An eyewitness, who pleaded with our correspondent to remain unnamed, said, “The gunmen were not in a haste to leave as they made sure that no police officer was found living in that compound. They left after about 45 minutes of their unhindered operation, shooting sporadically to scare away residents.”
When contacted on Wednesday, the Imo State Police Public Relations Officer, Henry Okoye, said the perpetrators of the heinous crimes would be apprehended and made to face the full weight of the law. He said the command’s tactical team had been deployed to the areas to assure residents of protection of lives and property.
He said, “We are in pursuit of the perpetrators of the heinous crimes. They would be apprehended and made to face the full weight of the law soon.”
Reacting to the multiple attacks, a human rights advocate, Nnaemeka Onyejiuwa of the Citizens Centre for Integrated Development and Social Rights, said, “These are attacks too many. The government at all levels and the Imo State Police Command should beef up security towards the protection of lives and property in the state.
“It’s a dangerous trend that non-state actors are causing panic in the state when we have joint security operatives in the state. For Imo residents to witness two attacks at the same time and they were not repelled sends dangerous signals.”
